Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The classic guide to pregnancy., April 16, 2009
If you are looking for a thorough pregnancy book, this has to be it. When I got it from my doctor (he gives one out to each new, expectant mom) I was suprised at how big it was. Wow! A lot of reading material. However, this one covers just about everything you want to know about pregnacny and then some. There was also some stuff in here that I particularily didn't want to know!! However, it's a good, solid read and one of the best. A classic. I also liked You Know You're Pregnant When. Reflections on the Longest Nine Months of My Life as it was funnier and lighter.
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196 of 245 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
To All the Expecting Fathers ..., May 31, 2008
Guys ... consider this a warning; this will be the worst book that your significant other can read and will make your life utterly miserable for the next nine months. It's been over four years since I had to deal with this serie's 3rd edition and I still can't stand the sight of it.
It may have been intended as a self-help guide, but its alarmist tone and condescending attitude leads this to act more as a bible for every worst-case scenario imaginable. After spending a few hours perusing this book's contents, your wife, girlfriend, whomever will become so overworked and paranoid that every little ache, pain, and irritation will become a sign of the baby being born with a forked tongue and three heads. The diet your partner will be instructed to keep is impossible for any human being alive to follow. She will be told to try and avoid ... damn near everything it seems like.
I was also incensed that after reading up on the author, all of this "wonderful" information was being brought to me by someone with NO MEDICAL BACKGROUND. If I'm going to want advice on dealing with pregnancy issues, wouldn't I want to consult an expert (i.e. someone with a degree)? Murkoff is no more an expert then I am ...
I'll be blunt, WTEWYE seems to be an EXTREMELY popular gift for someone who's pregnant for the first time and it's probably unavoidable. I came into three copies without any effort at all. I'm not going to stand here and pretend I know of a better source for information either, because (outside of ... oh I don't know ... a doctor) I don't. All I know is that if THIS is the definitive volume on the pregnancy experience, then God help us all.
I absolutely guarantee you, someone your partner knows WILL buy this for her. Your mission is to "lose it." If you're already stuck with it and you can't hide it or burn it, at least do your best to temper its pages with as much perspective as you possibly can. Again, for a first-time mom-to-be, who, frankly, is probably a bit nervous anyway about all the changes her body is going through, all this volume is going to accomplish is completely freaking her out.
Batten down the hatches and break out the antacid my friends, it's gonna be a long nine months
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30 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Surprisingly good, June 20, 2008
I bought a few books the months after we found out that my wife was pregnant. Initially i stayed away from this book, because even though the reviews were pretty good, i was really turned off by the look/design of the book, especially in the previous editions, with the image of the depressed, near suicidal woman wistfully looking out into space (that really didn't sell this whole pregnancy thing to us!). I know it sounds shallow, but stuff like design does make an impression.
Anyway, We bought two other books: The complete book of pregnancy (recommended by our mid wife - a bit too hippy dippy for my taste, but okay) and The Mother of All Pregnancy Books (also okay, but it really didn't follow a cohesive chronology of pregnancy).
Then, I found out this book was out with a new edition (and new cover design to boot!) and purchased it. It's been a great help. We love reading the month to month rundown of things, it contains some excellent chapters on various problems and questions that arise while you go thru the many months until delivery.
The drawbacks are very few. One was what we found to be the same with many of these books, that fathers are pretty much treated as an afterthought. Granted we're not the ones who have to carry the baby and deal with all that come with itt, but we are still along for the ride and most of us want to be. To be fair this book has one "dad" chapter, which was pretty good.
If you're interested in that aspect of it, I'd highly recommend The Expectant Father book, which is very thorough and insightful.
The other drawback is how little there is about the delivery and labour part of pregnancy. Again, something we've found to be very little info on (especially for us novices). I was given the book The Best Birth, which deals with that and only that topic. Very much worth a read.
Long review, but i hope it helps people.
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